CARLSBAD  As the only returning starter off last year’s state Division II runner-up boys basketball team, La Costa Canyon High’s Jeff Van Dyke has assumed a new role this season.

The 6-foot-2 senior guard, who is headed to Pepperdine next season, has become the team’s leading scorer, averaging about 15 points a game, but that’s not the biggest change.

Van Dyke has taken over the role as team leader, a role that is a bit different from what he’s used to.

La Costa Canyon won the San Diego Section Division II crown last year and the Mavericks finished 34-3, losing to San Jose Archbishop Mitty 78-57 in the state finals.

Aaron Gordon of Mitty scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.

Q: What do you remember most about the state finals?

A: That guy (Aaron Gordon) was good, but they had a really good team around him. That whole team overwhelmed us. I watched film of that game a while back and Gordon seemed better than I remembered that night. Hey, they beat us in every aspect of the game. It was a bummer of a night because we thought we could win the state title.

Q: Do you remember how you did that night?

A: Didn’t score a single point.

Q: How incredible was the journey to the state finals?

A: Game-by-game, we got better every day. We played so well and beating Lincoln for the section title and again for the Southern California title was terrific because they were great. The day our bus left for Sacramento, the entire student body was outside cheering us as we left. It was weird to see them out there knowing they were cheering something we had done. It almost felt like the whole school was going with us.

Q: Any regrets about the state finals?

A: Not one. We had a long drive, stayed in a hotel, played in an NBA arena and dressed in an NBA locker room. It is real easy to say we treated it like any other game because it wasn’t. I’ve wondered ever since that day what it feels like to win a state title. I was fine after a while with our spot.

Q: How much extra pressure was there?

A: Once the game started everything felt normal. We basically had nothing to lose. Mitty was a great team. We won section and Southern Cal, so the season wasn’t a lost cause. I’m grateful to have gone through it.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: My family plays golf and I like the sport, too. I’m not that good. When I make a shot, I’ll do a dance. I usually put three or four golf balls into the water.

Q: When the Van Dyke family hits the links, who wins?

A: Dad. He’s pretty good. I know I don’t get any breaks from him just because I’m his son.

Q: When did you begin playing basketball?

A: I’ve been playing since kindergarten and on a team since I was 7. My brother and dad both played. Dad showed me how to play the game right. Maybe being around him is why I liked it right away. I loved football, but the first time I got hit hard I decided while I was laying on the ground that the sport wasn’t for me. Basketball has been No. 1 for a long time.